Montreal, Canada: 10 best places to eat and drink
Olive have put together their top ten places to wine and dine in Montréal, Quebec province’s largest city. From micro-roasted coffees, Haitian cocktails and brown butter-poached calamari, this vibrant city has a lot to offer the buzzing restaurant scene
Brasserie Harricana
Craft beer is a big deal in Quebec; the Canadian province consumes more of it than any other. Recently founded in Montreal, Brasserie Harricana is a leader on the local microbrewery scene. Try the Saison des allergies, a carrot and goldenrod masterpiece.
Restaurant Le Diplomate
At laid-back but intimate Restaurant Le Diplomate, behind-the-counter chefs cook meticulously prepared, market-fresh dishes. Order the brown butter poached calamari with summer truffles and cured egg yolk, or ask for a surprise; all the bar snacks are delicious and great for sharing.
Cochons Tout Ronds
Farm-to-table dining is nothing new in Montreal, and well-respected chefs are often seen picking up ingredients at the city’s Marché Jean-Talon, the largest food market in Canada. In summer, look out for produce from farms just off-island, and definitely try the stellar jambon cru at the Cochons Tout Ronds stand.
Café Pista
Cool beans One of the first pedal-powered coffee tricycles when it launched in 2014, Café Pista has just added a bricks-and-mortar outlet, albeit with an airy vibe reminiscent of the parks they began serving in. A cortado made with beans from Montréal or other Canadian micro-roasteries is the go-to here.
Guillaume Valiant
Carb control Quebeckers, like the French, know how to bake. For the cream of the wheat crop, visit, run by avid winter cyclist and night owl Guillaume Valiant, whose old-school ethos is rooted in quality. His white chocolate and vanilla champignons will become your newest addiction.
facebook.com/boulangerieGUILLAUME
Agrikol
Koktels creoles Members of Arcade Fire might be behind Agrikol, but that’s not what draws crowds to this no-reservations Haitian snack bar on the edge of Montréal’s Gay Village. It’s all about the vibe, excellent lambi (conch) and dark and stormys made by bartender extraordinaire, Lon – these classic rum cocktails are the best in town.
Alvéole
Honeymoon Founded three years ago by a band of enthusiastic urban beekeepers, Alvéole uses the fruits of its labours to get local communities on-message about the benefits of greening Canada’s cities. Visit its Mile-Ex extraction site, then pick up a jar of Neighbourhood honey, collected from the borough’s resident bees.
Cocoa Locale
Sugar rush Rheema Singh has been satisfying sweet teeth for over 10 years via her tiny kitchen and store, Cocoa Locale. She juggles bundt and cupcakes, ovens and orders all on her own. The patron’s choice here is the chocolate chai cake.
4807 avenue du Parc, 00 1 514 271 7162
Orange Rouge
East meets west When Orange Rouge opened in Chinatown a few years ago, a host of young businesses followed. The difference with this pan-Asian restaurant is that it has stayed true to its roots, serving modern twists on oriental classics such as chrysanthemum leaf salads.
Time Out Market
After incarnations in Lisbon, Boston, Miami, Chicago and more, Canada is the latest country to launch a Time Out Market, with Montréal’s top chefs, popular restaurants and buzzy bars coming together under one roof downtown. Head to Hot Sucrée for chocolate-swirled babka and caramel-drizzled brownies, or Le Red Tiger for reinvented Vietnamese street-food (banh mi paired with beef broth is one of its most popular dishes) while four different bars have the drinks covered, whether you want vegan wines, carefully curated cocktails or bold beers from local microbreweries.
Danny Pavlopoulos is a Montréal native & co-founder of Spade and Palacio, a local bike, street art and food tour company spadeandpalacio.com
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